Photos: Palisades fire explodes, fueled by gusting Santa Ana winds

Firefighters scrambled to corral a fast-moving wildfire in the Los Angeles hillsides dotted with celebrity homes as a “life-threatening, destructive” windstorm hit Southern California, fanning the blaze seen for miles while roads were clogged with cars as residents tried to flee.

Forecasters warned the worst may be yet to come with the windstorm predicted to last for days, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph in mountains and foothills.

Already the winds were toppling trees, creating dangerous surf and bringing extreme wildfire risk to areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.

A house burns in the Marquez Knolls neighborhood of Pacific Palisades.

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

People evacuate near Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

A firefighting plane makes a drop on the Palisades fire.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Palisades resident Maggie Stokes keeps an eye on the fire from the California Incline in Santa Monica.

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Joy Schroeder helps fight the fire at her brother’s house in the Marquez Knolls neighborhood.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

A car is surrounded by the flames of the Pacific Palisades fire along Sunset Blvd.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

Smoke rises over a ridgeline in Pacific Palisades.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

A firefighting plane makes a drop on a burning home.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

The Palisades fire quickly consumed more than 1,200 acres, pushed by gusting Santa Ana winds.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

A woman keeps a watchful eye on the Pacific Palisades fire that burns several miles behind the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica.